Marvel: Acceptance
by SilverWarriorWolf
Summary: Billy's used to living life on his own. Can he adapt to a new family, none the less while adapting to a new time? (One shot, last part to come. Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide and self harm).


Billy couldn't remember another time when he had been so miserable. After the reveal of who he was, he had been peppered with series after series of questions. Before long, the dumbstruck look was no longer a ploy, but a genuine reaction to how overwhelmed he felt. He thought things would get better once the police had pulled him away from the press, but they didn't. They got so much worse.

Of course, not everyone believed the claim of who he was, so active searches to verify the claim went underway. Not only were his fingerprints taken again and compared to the once that WHIZ Media had on file (as he had needed to be fingerprinted to get a press pass), but comparisons of pictures and voice samples were also taken. At the same time, he was repeatedly questioned, and some of the interrogators seemed convinced he had made the whole thing up. He did his best to tell the truth (at least, leaving out anything and everything that had to do with magic).

Between interrogations, he was put through a variety of other experiences. Most of them were hygiene related. While he liked the shower, as it was the only time he was actually left alone, it had required a tutorial on how everything worked. All the dials and computers and screens just baffled him, and he didn't see the need for anything more than a nob. The workers also insisted on him using a weird smelling shampoo, "just in case of lice." He had been offended by the suggestion, as he knew well he didn't have lice. A few nanobots did fall out of his hair, though.

Afterwards, he was provided with fresh clothes, a white long sleeve tee-shirt, a pair of jeans, socks, and tennis shoes. They were alright but had a slightly odd feel to them. When he asked where his old clothes were, he was told they were too worn out to wear and had been thrown away. He had never been overly attached to clothes, but he still was offended that his possessions had been taken and thrown out without his approval, even more so since they had been the last thing from his time he owned.

Then came a few more interrogations before a doctor arrived with a series of vaccinations. Billy tried to ask what was going on, but only received a condescending explanation on what vaccines were. Of course, he knew what vaccines were, and he had received them in the past, but he was more confused as to why he needed a dozen different needles stuck into him at this very moment. He received no real answer, and now his arms hurt from the multiple injection sights.

Eventually, the test came back, verifying that, yes, he was in fact who he said he was. Thankfully, that stopped the interrogations. Afterwards, he was placed in a police office, given a cold sandwich for dinner, and had the TV turned on to keep him distracted while the adults talked about his fate.

The food was greatly appreciated, since he hadn't had anything since the bagel the previous morning, but he was still frustrated over the whole thing. The television was somewhat interesting, but between the fact that he didn't understand what was going on and the whole "strangers are deciding on my fate" thing, he couldn't enjoy it. Instead, he leaned against the couch to consider what to do next. He wanted to run, but weariness and comfort started to cloud his mind. Despite his best attempts, however, he fell fast asleep.

He wasn't asleep for long, as he was shaken to wakefulness by an officer. "Billy, please get up," she stated. "There's someone here to see you."

Billy was really too groggy to process what was going on. Had he been more alert, he would have questioned who in this time would be interested in seeing him. He would have been cautious, not wanting to expose himself to someone who might mean him harm. However, at this moment, he just wanted to go back to sleep.

All sleepiness, however, was jolted from him when he realized who it was. There, sitting in the police interrogation room, was the last person on Earth Billy would have wanted to see. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana.

"Billy," the officer stated, "we were hoping that-"

He never heard what it was she said. All he knew was that he wasn't going into a room with Dr. Sivana while he was still Billy. Not when there was a risk. Without a moment's hesitation, he bolted.

Unfortunately, the fear wasn't enough to completely clear his head of fatigue, so as he ran, he had no conscious knowledge of where he was going. All focus was placed on the fact that he wasn't going back there, he didn't care what anyone said.

His flight, thus, was soon ended as he ended up crashing into someone. Or, more accurately, he hit someone much larger and more sturdily built than him, and he almost tumbled backwards from the impact.

He was only saved from the fall by the person gripping onto his shoulders and steadying him. Instinctively, Billy struggled to break free, but weariness and fear had sapped his strength. If this man wanted to harm him, there would be nothing short of transformation he could do to defend himself. Still, he struggled for all that he was worth, even with the slim hope of escape.

"Hey, there," a soft, masculine voice stated. "Calm down, it's alright."

"You're alright," a motherly, feminine voice added.

Calming down for a moment, Billy realized he was standing in front of a young couple who had been heading in the opposite direction. They were fairly young, mid-thirties, and were both dark haired and eyes. The man was tall and sturdily built, with glasses and a close trimmed beared, and the woman had shoulder length hair. He had run into the man, who still had a firm grip on his shoulders.

He was about to speak, but he heard the officer coming after him from a distance. "Billy, please come back!"

Not wanting to risk anything, he attempted to bolt again, but as the man was still holding on to him, he didn't go too far. "Hey, where are you off to in such a hurry?" the man asked, allowing his grip to loosen but still holding on to the shirt sleeve.

"Don't make me go back!" Billy couldn't run, but the thought of returning filled his with revulsion. "I won't go!"

The couple paused, apparently recognizing his flight not as rebellion put pure terror. "Hey, it's okay," the woman stated, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No one's going to make you do anything you don't want to."

It was clear she was trying to comfort him, but Billy couldn't help but note the irony of the statement. "Excuse me for saying so, ma'am, but that's all they've been doing since yesterday."

At that point, the officer caught up to them. "Billy, we just need a word." She paused for a moment, looking a little confused at the couple. "Who are you?"

"Victor Vasquez," the man replied, taking a step closer and offering his hand. "This is my wife, Rosa. We were asked to house Billy for a while."

The officer looked a bit skeptical, but the chief, a man named Ben Parker, backed them up. "They're telling the truth," he stated. "I just checked them in."

"Alright," the officer replied, "but we need Billy to come back with us to finish verification with the one person who can state if this is really him."

At that statement, Billy attempted to run again, breaking away from Rosa and almost making it to the door, only to be cut off by the chief.

"Why are you so afraid?" Victor asked, and his tone carried genuine concern for the boy.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so surprised by the lad's reaction." Hearing the voice, Billy crept back, realizing escape was impossible. Sivana had arrived, and he glared at the boy. "Our previous interactions were not of the most…cordial nature."

"He tried to kill me!" Billy exclaimed.

Upon realizing who it was, Victor and Rosa moved closer to Billy, making it clear they were staying between him and the mad scientist. "Why is he here?" Rosa asked, clearly not happy about the arrival.

"Why isn't he in prison?!" Billy added.

Sivana gave a toothy grin that made Billy shudder. "The words are 'statute of limitation,' boy. As it turns out, they can't arrest you for a crime committed 90 years ago."

"We just needed visual verification, since there was an eye witness available," the officer responded. "It's standard procedure when a missing person turns up."

"There, now you have it. Can he go now?" Victor stepped ahead, making his protective intentions clear. Billy didn't know why they were standing up for him when they didn't really know him, but he was thankful for the help.

"Very well," Sivana replied, giving a casual shrug. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." He then turned to leave.

Billy relaxed a bit once his old foe was gone, though he was still anxious about this all. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, confusion, panic, exhaustion, and a general sense of overwhelming caught up to him. He wished his could sleep, but he was still standing in the middle of the room. His head was spinning, and he wasn't exactly sure what to do.

He was jolted out of this world of confusion by Rosa touching him on the shoulder. "Billy, would you like to go?"

He blinked for a moment, processing what she just said. "Where…go where?"

"The car's out around the side," she replied. "It should still be warm, and it'll be quieter there."

He looked around and realized most of the people had left. Victor was standing at a counter with the chief, signing some paperwork, but other than that, everyone was standing on their own.

He gave a small nod. "Yes, please."

* * *

Victor looked up for a moment to note Rosa heading out with Billy. He gave a smile, seeing the prudence of his wife's decision. The poor little guy had been put through the wringer and looked the worse for wear because of it.

Of course, this wasn't the first time they'd taken in a child who'd come from a rough situation, albeit not one so strange. Billy was lost in a world he didn't understand, but he seemed to be a good kid. Given time to rest and provided with guidance, he'd recover.

As Victor was finishing signing the paperwork for the Adoption Center, he was approached once more by Sivana. "I see you have taken custody of young Mr. Batson."

Victor recoiled a bit. It was true that Sivana hadn't committed any known crimes since his awakening ten years ago, but no Fawcett City native worth their salt was ignorant of the crimes he had committed in the 40's and early 50's. This went double for anything related to Billy Batson. "We won't let him get hurt," he stated, the threat nebulous but clear enough.

"I am quite certain of that," Sivana replied, giving another toothy grin. The look of it reminded Victor of a crocodile. "Nor to I intend to harm him. I've built up too much over the past years to lose over petty grudges. I did, however, want to give you and the missus a warning."

"If you're threatening us-" Victor started, but Sivana cut him off with a laugh.

"Threatening you? Quite the opposite!" Sivana chuckled at the possibility. After a moment, he calmed down and continued. "No, I wanted to give you a warning about Billy. The boy might end up harming himself."

Victor gave a snort and turned to go, but Sivana clearly wanted to be heard out. "Ignore me if you want," the scientist continued, "but I've seen it with my own eyes. There were adult men who woke up alongside me. They weren't as capable of adaptation as I was, and more than one ended their experience in the future on the end of a noose. Keep in mind, those were adult men. Can an impressionable youth like Batson really be expected to do much better?" Having said his piece, Sivana then slunk away.

* * *

Rosa glanced over to where Billy was sitting in the back seat. Of course, she and Victor knew what they were getting into when they agreed to take in the boy. He was stranded in the wrong time period after having spent four years taking care of himself on the street. Add in the traumatic events of the evening, and it was no wonder he'd had a panic attack.

Now that he was calm, it was easier to get a good look at him. He looked just like in the pictures from long ago: small for his age, with pale skin that contrasted heavily against jet black hair and large, expressive brown eyes. He looked more haggard and worn out than he had on those pictures, but she supposed that a week in a strange new world would do that to anyone.

"So, Billy, tell me a bit about yourself," she stated, giving a warm smile. "What do you enjoy doing?"

Billy seemed to shrink a bit the moment attention was called to him. This was not uncommon for foster kids who were brought in for the first time. "I…well…I like to read."

"Really?" Rosa inwardly cheered. Things like books or movies helped shier kids to come out of their shells a bit. She hoped this would help. "What books do you like?"

"I like _The Little Prince_." Billy leaned back a bit. He still seemed uncomfortable and unwilling to speak too much.

Realizing this wasn't going to go very far, she decided to switch tactics. "So, do you have any questions for me?"

"Questions?" Billy seemed surprised by this turn.

Rosa nodded. "Sure. I mean, this all happened so fast, I'm sure there's probably a lot you'd like to know. Don't be afraid to ask."

He looked at the ground and scratched his head. It was clear he was thinking something over, but wasn't completely comfortable with whatever it was.

After a moment, he spoke. "I…won't sound stupid, will I?"

"There's no such thing as a stupid question," she assured.

Billy didn't appear to completely agree with the response, but it appeared he was willing to ask. "Well…for starters, what are those cards people are always looking at?"

"Cards?" Rosa was a little confused about what he was asking.

"You know, those little cards with screens. People looked at them all the time." He held up his hands, pantomiming the action.

Realization hit her. "Oh, you mean phones!"

"Phones?" He clearly had not been expecting that answer. "Those are phones?"

"Sure," she responded, at least happy this was a question she could provide an example for. She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. "This is a smart phone." She handed it over to him so he could take a closer look.

Billy turned the device over in his hands, looking only more confused as he examined it. "If it's a phone, where's its cord? Or its dial?"

"Phones don't need cords anymore," Rosa explained. "It's a little too complicated to explain completely, but to say it simply, there's now technology that allows for messages to be sent through the air, cord free."

"As for the dial, it's here." She briefly took the phone back from him, turned it on, and brought up the phone app. She then handed it over to him. "Phones now have other uses, too, and we'll get to that later, once we explain the internet."

He looked genuinely amazed by the device, pressing several of the numbers. At the very least, it appeared his shyness had worn off, which was what she was primarily what she was concerned with.

It was then that Victor came back, the copies of paperwork tucked in one hand. He looked a bit concerned, but the look vanished as he entered the car. "Hey, we ready to head home?"

"Just about." Rosa took her phone back before sitting straight in her chair. "Billy, be sure to put on your seatbelt."

"Seatbelt?" The blank look from before, came to the boy's face.

"It's the strap, right here." Victor demonstrated with his own seatbelt. "It's a safety device, and it's the law that you need to use it."

"Oh." Billy turned and put it on, though was still examining it closely once it was secured.

Taking the moment of his distraction, Rosa turned to her husband. "Victor, ¿todo está bien?"

Seeing her worrying, he gave her a grin. "No hay nada por qué preocuparse."

She frowned in response. "Vi esa mirada en tus ojos. Está preocupado por algo."

"Ves a través de mí, ¿no?" He gave a laugh. "Vale, luego te lo digo. En casa, cuando estemos solos."

"Is everything alright?" Billy was now finished examining the belt, and looked towards the front with concern.

Realizing how their conversation must have been making him feel, Rosa turned and gave him a reassuring smile as they pulled out. "Nothing's wrong, we were just talking about something."

"Okay, good." Billy fidgeted a little, adjusting the seatbelt a bit. "Uh, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Victor replied.

The boy paused for a moment before building the courage to speak. "Does the internet have to do with that googum thing? When I asked questions before, I was just told to googum it."

For the rest of the drive, Billy asked a variety of questions, mostly having to do with the changes in technology and environment since the hundred years since he went into stasis. He was curious and eager to learn, and while the answers did baffle him at times, he seemed willing to accept them when provided and explanation.

The one thing he did not ask about, however, was where they were going. This seemed a bit odd to the couple, as their previous foster kids were usually curious about what their new home life was going to be like. They just waved it off, however, as Billy lacking the knowledge that would have been second nature to the other kids. Once he learned more about the world he was now in, then he'd grow more interested in the personal details.

Eventually, the time came to give some explanations, anyway, due to how close to the house they had come.

"So, Billy," Victor said, "while you're staying here, you'll stay in a room with three other boys. However, we were not expecting you to come so soon, so we'll need to pick out a bed for you tomorrow with your other things."

"There are others there?" Billy looked surprised, though not unduly troubled, by the revelation.

"There are three other boys and two girls," Rosa explained. "They're in bed right now, though, so you'll meet them tomorrow."

"Alright." Billy seemed to get a bit shy again, though not as much as he previously had been.

"I hope the fold-out's alright for the time being," she said. "It hasn't been used in a while, but it's still in good shape."

The ghost of a smile came to Billy's face. "It sounds nice."

They soon pulled into the driveway in front of a large, older looking house. Billy seemed to just absorb everything like this was the first time he'd seen anything like it. It was far nicer than anything he'd ever been allowed in, and he could scarcely believe he'd been brought here on purpose.

Once inside, he was directed to the room he was to stay in. It was the family room, which had been set up in the basement. Once he was settled, the parents went upstairs, letting him get to sleep in the stillness of the room.

All of this kindness was overwhelming. The Vasquez family didn't know him, didn't owe him anything, yet they welcomed him in as if they had been waiting for him forever. They were patient and respectful when he asked questions that must have sounded stupid to them and they had promised to support him while he had nothing to offer in return.

It made him feel like a heel for what he was planning to do.

It was a quiet morning, with the sun coming up in the distance. Having caught some snatches of sleep, he got up, crept out of the living room, and retrieved his shoes. The coat he had used last night, he found out, was borrowed from one of the other boys, so he didn't take that. He made a mental note to find another one soon.

As he reached the door, he cast a mournful look at the hallway. In another life, he would have eagerly stayed, and a large part of him still wanted to. However, his duties as Champion came first.

As he made it out the front door and prepared to leave, he felt his leg brush against a warm, furry form. "Where's a young man like you off to so early in the morning?"

"Morning, Tawny." Frankly, Billy wasn't surprised. The cat had a tendency to show up at times like this. "I've got to go, before the others wake up."

"Really?" Tawny gave him a look. "Now, why do you have to do a thing like that? Have they been unkind to you?"

"What? No, they've been great. I just have to go." Billy looked downcast. "I can't ask them to do this for me."

"Do what?" Tawny fixed him with that stare that is simultaneously curious and judgmental than only truly a cat can make. "Care for you, as if proper for a child your age?"

"I'm not just a kid." Billy tried to move past Tawny to get to the stairs, but the cat grew in size just enough to make his point clear.

"No, you're not _just _a child," Tawny insisted, "but you are still one. There are a great many things you were denied when young, and it is criminal that was the case. Proper care, a safe home, the love of a family. Now you have that opportunity, here."

Realization came to Billy in a moment. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

Tawny smirked. "Not entirely. Every choice made was chosen freely by all parties. I merely played a hand in making sure the chips fell where they did."

Billy sighed. "Tawny, I can take care of myself, and that way, no one will get hurt by what I do."

"And I am trying to warn you, you need the safety of the household." Tawny fixed the boy with a stern gaze. "I was trying to find the Rock of Eternity yesterday due to the discovery of magical entities that have made it into this world. I have made no success in that search as of yet."

"Then all the more reason I have to leave!" Billy insisted. "I can help you!"

"To continue my search, I will need to leave this dimension and return to the one I am native to," Tawny continued. "You coming along is completely out of the question now that adult humans know of your presence. They will suspect something is up, and trouble will occur. Furthermore, you cannot be alone on the street while I am gone. It was bad enough while I was here to lend aid. If you should run into trouble while I am gone, then there would be no one to aid you."

"How would staying here help?" Billy asked.

Tawny sighed. "I have told you previously, cub, there are many defenses against magic that come from the home. It is ingrained in the very nature of magic, and even the wickedest of creatures cannot break these rules, anymore than wicked humans can make themselves breathe in a vacuum. You will have defenses, and those defenses, by the rule of Xenia, are extended to those who welcome you."

Billy slumped down, realizing his had no way around it. "There's no arguing, is there."

"Oh, come now, cub," Tawny replied, rubbing his head against the boy's arm. "I won't be gone long. I have a friend in my own dimension who may be able to assist in finding the Rock and Shazam. At the very least, stay here so I will know where to find you after that."

"Alright. I suppose I can do that." Billy stroke the cat's head. "I just hope you're right about that whole Xenia thing."

"I am. Who knows? Perhaps you might like the proper life of a human kit." Tawny then got up and stretched out. "I must be on my way. Hurry back inside, before any of the others realize where you are."

"Good luck, Tawny," Billy stated, giving a mournful wave.

"And to you, cub." The cat then moved away.

Moving as quietly as he could, Billy replaced the shoes, and crept back into the basement. He then crawled back into the bed, and soon drifted off into a deep sleep.


End file.
